Baby, it's Cold Outside
by Tsuntarou
Summary: A look at how Midorima and Akashi's relationship grows by observation of Christmas activities. Midorima Shintarou x Akashi Seijuuro [AkaMido] [MidoAka]


**A/N: not beta'd because I'm sick and lazy and yeah don't hurt me.**

Their first Christmas together is shared with the group as a whole, and neither really remember the whole picture, just minor details that stick out when they try to recall the party.

Midorima is pretty sure Aomine had spiked the eggnog with something, because he knows he woke up with a headache the next morning, sprawled out length-ways down the bleachers with his head hanging off the end and his glasses discarded and never found again. He was lucky to have brought an extra pair.

Akashi can remember Satsuki holding mistletoe above everyone's heads and giving them platonic cheek kisses after a few glasses of that ever-so-famous eggnog, and he can remember Shintarou singing an interesting rendition of some American song only because he noted that he did not know Shintarou could speak English. Thus the Teiko team learned why middle schoolers were not legally allowed alcohol.

The second Christmas shared together was just the two of them, granted it only lasted for a few minutes outside Midorima's house. He had not expected Akashi to be waiting on his doorstep with a present, especially one as personal as the ancient sheet music bound together by unraveling ribbons that probably dated the same as the musty, yellowing paper. He, in return, gifted Akashi with something far less extravagant and impersonal, something he had on hand in case someone did surprise him the way Akashi did.

The next time Shuutoku played Rakuzan Shintarou did manage to catch a whiff of Akashi's hair when the other had took to guarding his left side, and was quite surprised to smell the tangent spice of gingerbread from the impersonal shampoo and conditioner giftset.

More Christmases came and went, but the fleeting moments did not count as anything particularly special. Those years Shintarou was ready with gifts more personal in nature — at least as personal as the two of them allowed one another to be — but it was much later when the two reached yet another marker event in their holiday history.

That Christmas had been a small celebration — a few gifts piled under a small tree because why waste money on an extravagant tree when they were moving out of their shared apartment and into a newly-purchased house a few days after? Besides, neither men minded the quiet lull of classical Christmas melodies emitted from the small player beside the tree and the twinkle of lights accompanying the warm cider they sipped silently on the couch they were leaving behind in the apartment.

This Christmas had gone well, too; All of the noisy guests had left after indulging in the oh-so-famous eggnog, taking brightly wrapped gifts with them. All who remained were the two joint owners of the house, who sat in front of a crackling fireplace in the main house wrapped up in a single, large blanket, each reading their own novel while sharing one another's warmth. The Christmas tree was no longer surrounded by barricades of presents. Only two remained — one red, one green respectively.

They both knew quite well what were in the boxes, so they did not hurry to unwrap them. After all, with an all-seeing lover like Akashi, it was a miracle that Midorima had been able to hide the matching pair of expensive, simple silver rings for as long as he did, as well has the chains the two of them would wear them on. Akashi also did not really know the meaning of 'surprise,' so it wasn't unusual for him to tell Shintarou ahead of time what lie hidden behind shiny green paper. This time it was a few little things, like an expensive fountain pen and a blank leather journal and a sage-green silk tie and other little luxuries that would look professional in Midorima's office at the clinic.

As both slowly turned a page in their books, both leaned in to gently touch lips before discarding their reading material all together and sinking into the warmth underneath the shared blanket.


End file.
